The European tango revival has slowed from its torrid pace of the late 2000s decade but continues to produce distinctive recordings. This one is by Dutch bandoneón player
Carel Kraayenhof, who has achieved considerable celebrity in his home country. He's a masterful player, and the small sonorities of his instrument are beautifully displayed by Pentatone's Hybrid Multichannel Super Audio CD sound. The program is effective, mixing works by
Astor Piazzolla with compositions of
Kraayenhof himself, taking off from the more experimental aspects of
Piazzolla's late period. The performance of
Piazzolla's Aconagua Concerto for bandoneón, strings, and percussion (tracks 6-8) is very strong. Buyers should approach this set with caution, however. The
Kraayenhof originals and most of the
Piazzolla pieces are arranged for bandoneón, strings, piano, and a wordless choir. It is this last element, seemingly designed for
André Rieu-style television extravaganzas, that may prove difficult to stomach; for most listeners it will almost certainly add nothing more than an unwanted layer of glop to Oblivion and the sublime Adiós Nonino. Sample well, and if you like a frankly sentimental treatment of the essentially lowdown tango, this may fill the bill.